News

Liberty Aerospace, of Melbourne, Fla., this week threw down the gauntlet to the rest of the aviation world, claiming that its XL2 is the world’s most efficient IFR trainer and touring aircraft, after a flight test conducted last month achieved an efficiency of 21.208 nm per gallon over a 165-nm course. “With standard equipment and […]

Adding to the thousands of jobs already lost over the last few weeks to aviation businesses in Wichita, Kan., Hawker Beechcraft CEO Jim Schuster announced on Tuesday that at least 2,300 jobs will be cut at his company. In a letter to employees published at the local KSN.com news site, Schuster said, “We are undoubtedly […]

An American Airlines pilot who was aboard US Airways Flight 1549 says she heard the “thumps” of what she assumed were bird strikes, smelled burned flesh and braced for an impact that ended up “no worse than a carrier landing.” Susan O’Donnell, a Boeing 767 first officer for American, was a “jumpseat passenger” on 1549, […]

Patty Wagstaff says she “probably did use a few choice words” for Winnebago County Sheriff’s deputies when she was arrested on July 31 on a runway at Wittman Regional Airport but she maintains that officers overstepped their bounds during the incident. Local authorities paint a different picture, however, and more details of the incident came […]

A project titled “the development and industrialization of light aircraft” in China has successfully developed and flown a two-seat light aircraft based on independent research and self-owned intellectual property. The Hunan Sunward Science and Technology Co Ltd. built the aircraft, which is built of composite parts pulled from molds and tooling that allows the company […]

The US Airways flight that on Jan. 15 ended in the Hudson River (and otherwise about as successfully as could be imagined) recently became the instantly popular free online video game, “Hero on the Hudson.” The game’s hosting site was so visited by the weekend that the game was (at least temporarily) unavailable, Saturday. Players […]

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that passed in the House last week “would pump an additional $3 billion toward airport improvements,” according to AOPA President Craig Fuller. Of course, the wording of the package is expected to see changes on its course through the Senate. And, the Senate is considering economic stimulus legislation […]

Cessna announced a further 2,000 layoffs last week, bringing the company-wide total to 4,600. Most of the layoffs hitting workers in Wichita. However, the company’s Bend, Ore., facility (where the Corvalis — previously Columbia — series is manufactured) is losing another 120 as part of the latest cuts. That facility is currently producing about one […]

Japan Airlines set out Friday to become the fourth airline in about one year to flight test a biofuel — this one mixes jatropha oil, algae and camelina (flax) and follows recent flights by Continental (last week), Air New Zealand (December ’08) and Virgin Atlantic (February ’08). The latest test was scheduled for one hour […]

The FAA has released a new letter of interpretation intended to better define “flight into known icing conditions” that, according to AOPA, “could benefit many GA pilots.” According to the FAA, while known icing conditions are “not defined by regulation,” the term has been “used in legal proceedings involving violations of FAA safety regulations.” Where […]